1. BBIS Library Guide to Citing References
MLA Style
BBIS Library Guide to
Citing References

2. Why use the MLA format? Allows readers to cross reference
sources easily
Provides a consistent format across the school
Protects yourself from plagiarism

3. Avoid Plagiarism
must cite quotations and borrowed ideas
information borrowed word for word must be in quotation marks
summaries and paraphrases must be in your own words
Plagiarism is a serious offense. It may result in anything from failure of the assignment to expulsion from school

4. Establishing Credibility
Cross-referencing allows readers to locate the publication information of source material.
The correct use of MLA style allows writers to demonstrate their accountability to their source material.

5. MLA Style: Two Parts
Works cited page
In-text citations

6. Works Cited Page
A complete list of every source that you make reference to in your essay
Provides the information necessary for a reader to locate and retrieve any sources cited in your essay.

7. Works cited
Most citations should contain the following basic information:
Author’s name
Title of work
Publication information

8. Books
Author’s last name, first name. Book Title. City of publication: Publisher, publication date.
Byatt, A. S. Babel Tower. New York: Random House, 1996.

9. Newspaper articles
Last Name, First Name. “Article Title.” Newspaper or Magazine Title Date: Page Number.
Example:
Smith, John. “Many People, Many Faiths.” The New York Times 13 Feb. 2001: A1.

10. Painting, photograph or work of art in a book and internet
Cassatt,Mary. Mother and Child Wichita Art Museum. American Painting: By John Pearce New: McGraw, 1964.
Delacroix, Eugene. Death of Ophelia Louvre, Paris. Web Gallery of Art December <

11. Online databases Wilson Select
Author.“Title of Article.“ Title of Journal“. Date: pages. Database Location. Date accessed.<url>.
Chambers,Richard. “Foundation of Rome“. History Today. April 2003: Wilson Select. BBIS Library, Berlin. 9 Jan
Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Cut and paste the citation from the end of the article using MLA style and insert location.
“Roman Empire.” Britannica Student Encyclopaedia. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online School Edition. BBIS Library, Berlin. 13 Jan

12. Web sites
Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. “Section or Page on Web Site.” Overall Web Site. Date last updated or published. Date accessed <Web Address>.
Smith, John. “Hinduism.” Many People, Many Faiths. 19 May March 2005 <

13. Other sources E-mails:
Smith, John. “Re: Cultural Identity Paper.” to the author March 2005.
Personal interviews:
Yin, Tao. Personal interview March 2005.

14. Works Cited Page: Basic Format
Begin on separate page at the end of your research paper.
Label page Works Cited (do not underline or put in quotation marks)
Double space all citations, but do not skip spaces between entries.

15. Works Cited Page: Basic Format
Capitalise each word in the titles of books, articles,etc, but do not capitalise articles, short prepositions, or conjunctions unless one is the first word of the title or subtitle:
Gone with the Wind, The Art of War, There is Nothing Left to Lose

16. Works Cited Page: Basic Format
List alphabetically by author‘s surname first; first name; middle name or initial.
Burke, Kenneth
Levy, David M.
Wallace, David Foster
*Do not list titles (Dr., Sir, Saint, etc) or degrees (PhD,MA,DDS etc)
*Do include suffixes like „Jr.“ or „11“
e.g. King, Martin Luther,Jr.,

17. Works Cited Page: Basic Format
More than one work by an author, order entries alphabetically by title, and use three hyphens in place of the author‘s name after the first:
Burke, Kenneth. A Grammar of Motives
---.. A Rhetoric of Motives

18. In-text Citations: The basics
In MLA style, referring to the works of others in your text is called in-text citation.
Immediately following a quotation from a source or a paraphrase of a source‘s ideas, you place the author‘s name followed by a space and the relevant page number(s) (Hamilton 26).
When a source has no known author, use a shortened title of the work instead of the author‘s name.

19. When Should You Use In-text Citations?
When quoting any words that are not your own
Quoting means to repeat another source word for word, using quotation marks

20. When Should You Use in-text Citations?
When summarizing facts and ideas from a source
Summarizing means to take ideas from a large passage of another source and condense them, using your own words
When paraphrasing a source
Paraphrasing means to use the ideas from another source but change the phrasing into your own words

21. When to use quotations Choose quotations carefully and for specific reasons
Use quotations to support your arguments.
A short phrase or sentence is more easily understood than a long quotation.
Look for the `kernel` or the most important part of the quotation and extract it.
Paraphrase a quotation in your own words where possible.

22. Handling Quotes in Your Text
Author’s last name
and page number(s) of quote must appear in the text
Romantic poetry is characterized by the “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (Wordsworth 263).
Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (263).

23. In-text Citations….. Sometimes more information is necessary
More than one author with the same last name
(W. Wordsworth 23); (D. Wordsworth 224)
More than one work by the same author
(Joyce, Portrait 121); (Joyce, Ulysses 556)
Different volumes of a multivolume work
(1: 336)
Citing indirect sources
(Johnson qtd. in Boswell 2:450)

24. In-text Citations
If the source has no known author, then use an abbreviated version of the title:
Full Title: “California Cigarette Tax Deters Smokers”
Citation: (“California” 14)
If the source is only one page in length or is a web page with no apparent pagination:
Source: Dave Poland’s “Hot Button” web column
Citation: (Poland)

25. Handling quotes in your text
There are many different combinations and variations within MLA citation format.
If you run into something unusual, look it up!

26. Where can you go for additional help with MLA documentation?
BBIS Library Guide to Citing Resources
library/bibliography.htm
Easybib
The Owl at Purdue
In Microsoft Word, go to “References,” then “Style”; choose MLA from the list of options.
Ask your friendly Librarian!